Early Spring picnic on the deck with friends It's only mid-February, but it certainly seems like Spring is almost here. Although the temperatures have been pretty mild, it's been a rather gloomy winter. It seemed like almost every day was thick fog and dampness. We look forward to January 19th every year because that is the day the sun stays above the hill to the south and we get sun all day. Except this year we had to wait several weeks to see it. But today, February 15th, the sun came out in all it's glory and we have smiles on our faces that just won't go away! And the forecast is for the same all week. The snow is melting off in rivers, and parts of the pasture are starting to open up. I swear, the sheep are smiling, too.
sun dried sheets! Other signs of Spring are evident as well- pussywillow buds are appearing, the first Robin of the year stopped by and sang us a song last evening, and the chickadees are singing their Springtime tunes as well. There is a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring around, and this morning Bill spotted a bald eagle walking around in the upper pasture just at first light. The yearling sheep are frisky, running around in gangs and butting heads once in a while just because they can, and the dogs are playful. I was very pleased to see my rosemary plant emerge from the melting snow with some green leaves- I think it survived the winter, which is unusual in these parts. I was so thrilled to see the sun that I put the laundry out to dry for the first time since last year. Now that the vegetation is gone from the steep hillsides, we are hearing lots of rocks tumbling down at random intervals. As the ground thaws out, it heaves and moves and rocks get dislodged from their perches and roll down into the road. Sometimes it's quite an obstacle course just to get down to the highway.
After the holidays I finally had time to start working on wool again. We lost most of our 2014 fleeces in the fire, but I had a few set aside and some from previous years so there is enough to work with until we shear in April. I have a pretty nice routine of full days at the studio on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and half days on Tuesday and Thursday. So far I've managed to wash about 45 lbs and switched over to dye mode last week. I splurged on a nice big stainless steel pot (100 quarts!) that allows me to dye 2 lbs at a time. I'm starting with indigo, and when that's all used up I'll switch to a yellow- probably weld. I'll overdye some of the indigo blues to get pretty greens. I've got my madder pot going, too, to extract the dye from the ground up roots. I should be ready to start using that next week. I'm on a big push to get enough yarn and roving to fill my booth for the Fiber Festival at the end of May.
If this weather continues, I'll be able to get into the garden and do all the cleanup that I didn't have time for last Fall. And I see that all the leaves that fell on the ground are still there waiting for me to rake them. I will be glad to get a new leaf compost pile going- the last one was so wonderful. It was one of the things I was saddest about losing, since it takes about 3-4 years to really get perfect.
Stay tuned for the next update. The next few months are going to be very busy- gardening, shearing, then lambs!
If this weather continues, I'll be able to get into the garden and do all the cleanup that I didn't have time for last Fall. And I see that all the leaves that fell on the ground are still there waiting for me to rake them. I will be glad to get a new leaf compost pile going- the last one was so wonderful. It was one of the things I was saddest about losing, since it takes about 3-4 years to really get perfect.
Stay tuned for the next update. The next few months are going to be very busy- gardening, shearing, then lambs!
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